Few things in our gardens and homes freak us out more than spiders, yet in the proper place, they are among our best friends. The proper place, of course, is in our yards; not in our homes! In the Kansas City area, Augustine Services will help keep them where they belong.

The only food source for spiders is insects and other arthropods such as sow bugs (roly-polies), ticks, millipedes, centipedes and, of course, other spiders. To that extent, they are our friends. The one pictured above is one of the many “good guys”. However, there are two or three potentially “bad actors” which, if handled roughly or come in contact with you, can bite, defensively. Leave all the rest alone! They are just trying to keep our yards and homes pest-free.

Control

The key to control of spiders – any spiders – is control of their sole food source – insects and related pests. One of the primary keys to the control of the food source is the control of clutter. Clutter within homes, schools, places of business or any structure provides shelter for both the spiders and their prey.

The second primary key to control of spiders and their prey is in exclusion. Tighten the place up – don’t let them inside! Make sure that all doors, windows, screens and ventilators are tight and in good repair. Caulk around utility penetrations or any other openings. Consider an exterior pesticide barrier around the structure’s foundation.

The third key to control is remediative pest management measures. They consist of trapping, appropriate pesticide applications and constant monitoring. In the Greater Kansas City area, Augustine Services, Incorporated is the answer. Augustine has spent over 40 years successfully developing and honing failsafe, integrated pest management systems for homes, businesses, healthcare, arts and antiquities. Call 913-362-4399 today!

The following several spiders should be kept in their place, away from you! So…..

Brown Recluse

The brown recluse or fiddle back/violin spider (Loxosceles reclusa) gets its common name from its coloration and reclusive habits and the dark violin/fiddle-shaped marking on its top. While several species of brown recluse spiders occur pretty much throughout the southern half of United States, L. reclusa is exceedingly common in the Kansas City area.

Black Widow

The black widow, a relatively uncommon spider in the Kansas City area, lives in undisturbed locations under trash, litter, boards and rocks. Little-used buildings are often infested, along with crawl spaces, cellars and basements. The black widow most often makes its irregularly shaped, rather tangled web under flat rocks, logs, along embankments or in outbuildings. The web has a tiny funnel into which the spider can retreat if bothered.

Wolf Spider

These athletic spiders don’t spin webs to catch their prey; instead, they run it down! They have long legs and are usually gray, brown, black or tan with dark brown or black body markings (especially stripes). Those in the Kansas City area range in body size (legs not included) from less than 1/4 to 1.38 inches. They live mostly solitary and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short distances. Some will wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow. They may wander from place to place, and are therefore more likely to be the ones attracted into human habitation when the weather starts to turn colder in autumn. While all wolf spiders may bite, only the larger ones may be able to inject enough venom to necessitate medical attention. Even then, such bites are not likely to be life threatening to the average healthy person..

Cellar Spiders

The name, cellar spider, comes from the location where they are often found: damp cellars, basements, and crawl spaces. They have very long, thin legs and are often confused with the harvestmen or ”daddy longlegs”. Cellar spiders also commonly infest warehouses. There are approximately 20 species of cellar spiders found in the United States, with several being found in the Kansas City area. Their bites are harmless to humans.